Var Speak

Citrix Innovators Program concludes in India

by VARINDIA 2015-02-26

Citrix has announced the successful conclusion of its Innovators Program, where nine graduating teams completed its Startup Accelerator’s intensive three-month business model validation program guided by Citrix executives and industry experts. The program ended with a Demo Day, where each of the start-up teams presented to a panel of industry veterans and potential investors. Unique to the Innovators Program is the combination if external companies and Citrix internal teams. The first group included five internal teams and four external companies. Citrix awarded a US$10,000 fellowship seed funding to the four external companies. Commenting on the program’s conclusion, John McIntyre, Managing Director, Citrix Startup Accelerator, said, “The core focus of the Start-up accelerator program is to enable entrepreneurs create the next wave of disruptive technologies and great new products that will pave the way for the future of the workspace. India is a gold mine of talented start-ups, and these nine teams are a testament to this very fact. I am excited for what these teams will achieve and eagerly awaiting the next cohort of the Innovator’s program, what we plan to launch later in 2015.” Rakesh Singh, Vice-President & General Manager, Citrix India, added, “We extend our warmest congratulations to the path-breaking and first-ever graduating batch of the Innovators Program. Our aim had been to handpick start-ups that showcased innovation and potential, and subsequently help them to accelerate their growth manifold through a series of workshops and mentoring. I can safely say that each of the nine teams graduating from the first edition of the Innovator’s Program in India is better prepared to bring great products to the market, and has attracted tremendous investor’s interest, making us extremely proud of the outcome.” Launched in August last year, the Innovators Program attracted hundreds of company entries of which nine teams were chosen by an Executive Council, to become part of the Innovators Program. Designed with the objective of blending leading-edge leadership, team building, design thinking and lean start-up approaches, teams were trained to validate their business models around customers’ needs. Additionally, participants also received mentoring and guidance from seasoned business executives, industry leaders and venture capital investors.